PRESS RELEASE
HIROSHI WATANABE
“Portraits: Kabuki”
February 28 April 3, 2004
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 28
6:00- 8:00 PM
The portraits are bold, enigmatic, and starkly honest. Los Angeles photographer Hiroshi Watanabe wants them that way. He’s been investigating the ritualized world of Kabuki, the traditional national theater of Japan. But there’s a twist. Though the Japanese revere their famous and popular Kabuki actors, Watanabe has chosen to focus on the anonymous provincial players living far from the spotlight of Tokyo.
Influenced by the revealing portraits of August Sander, Watanabe’s photographs capture the fleeting moments when these actors loose themselves in the spirit of their character. By waiting for these unposed moments, we are given the opportunity to see beyond the heavy make-up and wardrobe, to the place where actors go to prepare themselves for the play. “I believe good portraits show the character and personality of the subject,” Watanabe says. “This has become difficult, since most people are well educated about photography, and know how to posehow to make an impression. When these Kabuki players sit in front of my camera, hidden in heavy make-up, they can be themselves without worrying about looking good for the photograph.”
White Room Gallery welcomes you to see this latest investigation by a photographer deeply committed to discovering the interface between his native Japan and his adopted home in America. Watanabe has followed the rich tradition of other expatriate photographers, exploring his own culture from the vantage of another foreign country. His work has been extensively published and exhibited in Japan and America, and is included in the collections of the Houston Museum of Fine Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the George Eastman House of Photography.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
WHITE ROOM GALLERY ATTENTION: EIKO FUKUHARA
8810 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Ph: 310 859-2402 Fax: 310 859-0197
info@whiteroomgallery.com
www.whiteroomgallery.com
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